Special to the Independent
Last week, Rep. Joe McGonagle welcomed Representative Denise Garlick, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Education and her staff to visit two early education centers in Everett. The visit is part of the Education Committee’s effort to understand the needs of early education centers across the Commonwealth post-pandemic.
The group began the visit at Children’s Playhouse Daycare, a family owned and operated business that takes children from four weeks old through kindergarten. They then followed that by meeting with ABCD Headstart Everett, one of several Headstart programs across Boston, Malden, Medford and Everett. ABCD Headstart is a nonprofit organization aiming to give quality early education to low-income families. Each visit was comprised of a tour of the facilities and in-depth discussions with program leaders about the goals, struggles and needs of early education centers.
“To say I was impressed by both centers is certainly an understatement,” said McGonagle. “I was truly blown away by the quality of care that exists in our own community. The settings for each were slightly different yet they both maintain the mission of the providing the best possible education and care to every child that walks through their doors. They are also committed to the wellbeing of their teachers and staff which is vital. This does not go without its’ struggles though as we discussed raising costs of providing such quality care and staff retention.”
“Rep. Joe McGonagle’s leadership has been integral to the Education Committee,” said Representative Denise Garlick, Chair of the Education Committee. “In our visit he showed us saw the importance of accessible, affordable, and quality early education in the Everett community. Our visits to Children’s Playhouse and ABCD Head Start will inform us as we continue our focus on early education and care in the Legislature.”
“I’m so thankful to these centers for welcoming us in and being gracious hosts who answered all our questions,” said McGonagle. “I’m also grateful to my friend and colleague Chairwoman Denise Garlick who is working hard to better understand the educational needs across the Commonwealth. I also want to thank Senator Sal DiDomenico and Rep. Judith Garcia for joining us.”
The Education Committee, which McGonagle serves on, also visited early childcare centers in Malden and Lowell and will be conducting several more visits around the Commonwealth to different demographic and geographic areas.